What’s the Bunny Slipper Scale for Grading?

It is a fun tool for grading a learning experience. Or, if it isn’t fun, at least it isn’t as alienating as the 0-4 and A-F grading scales that most schools use.

I’m an educator who hates using the 0-4 & A-F grading scales. These scales never capture the smarts of my students, nor the depth of their learning. Plus, they make me and many learners feel alienated from education.

Alienated? Really? How so? Alienation is a logical response to a flawed grading system.

What does a C mean to a student? Does it mean the student is working extra shifts this week and missed two classes as a result or simply found the class boring? The C doesn’t say!

What does a C mean to an educator? Were your examples poorly chosen, too dated, or overly abstract? Who knows? The C is a closed system. It hordes knowledge.

Because grades tells us little to nothing about a student’s learning experience and learning style, I suggest moving toward the Bunny Slipper Scale of Grading. Of course, not every student wears bunny slippers — or wants to.

That’s the point.

Our students are quirky individuals. One way to gain insight into a student’s personality is to welcome it. That’s why I’m suggesting educators ask students to design their own grading system. Perhaps your student will envision the Super Mario Scale for evaluating their learning experience.

This scale is smart. It gives useful information. It provides insight into a student’s personal interests — video games are not bunny slippers.

Even better? This scale encourages students to reflect on their learning, not submit to the grading process.

It also gives students and educators a shared language to remedy learning barriers.

Question: “Jezebel, what will turn your Small Mario into Princess Peach?”

My work as an educator isn’t grading. It is promoting the natural curiosity and growing expertise of unique learners. That’s why I use gameplay when teaching. It is also why I use the Bunny Slipper Scale for Grading.

Question: “Darshan, what made you miss your bunny slippers?”

Answer: “Grading. That’s why I’m hiding under the covers.”